Routine in a Time of Change
Have you lost track of the days of week? Have you stopped using an alarm clock and wake when you feel like it? Do you struggle getting exercise into your day as you no longer have a set gym class to attend? Because hey — as long as you get your work done in the day, it doesn’t matter when it is completed, right?.
You may be beginning to like some of the things that have developed during this pandemic. Less commitments. Working from the comfort of your home. More quality time with your family. It may seem that you are in perpetual vacation mode. But are you noticing that your mental health is suffering despite all of these positive moments?
When we have lost our routine & daily patterns, your mental health can be impacted. It likely is easy to see that lack of routine is linked to a change in your sleep pattern — difficulty falling asleep, waking through the night, or waking in the morning not feeling refreshed. If you sustain repeated nights of insomnia, it can have a drastic impact on your mood.
You may not as easily see how loosing your rhythm can also affect how you handle stress as it comes at you. No schedule — i.e. flying by the seat of your pants — occupies brain power. You see, routine is an anchor. It lets you have a framework to your day. There are many things in life that we cannot control — I think many of us have seen this happen during this pandemic. Having some things that are for certain can help us handle the multitude of things that are uncertain with better ease.
It may not be tangible that your mood can dip simply due to a lack of routine. But if you know what to expect in your day, it is easier to counteract negative thoughts or mental health symptoms. It has been reviewed in a study that family routines help to manage impulsiveness and oppositional defiance in children as these children have come to know what to expect in their life and feel safer.
What I want you to achieve is a better quality life including a healthy mood today & well beyond this pandemic. A simple step to create resilience in your mood is to keep a tangible routine for you and your family.
Make Habits. Routine is the basis of habit forming. Start with looking at the musts in your day. For me it is exercise, eating well, & keeping a regular bedtime routine. I frame my day around these three essential habits. All other parts of my day are extraneous.
Have Goals. Goals help you stick to what is important to you. Making goals for the day, week, month & even the year are key strategies that entrepreneurs learn. If you are an entrepreneur you know all too well how varied a day & week may be but goals become the pillar of reference. Goals give you stability during times of uncertainty. Take time with yourself & your family to write down and review your goals on a regular basis.
Flexibility. We all know too well the downfall of resolutions — they just don’t have a stick factor. We are all hard on ourselves & don’t want to fail. The first inclination of failure, many of us walk away. If you throw your routine out for the day & have a “lazy & unpredictable day” , forgive yourself & pick back up on your routine the next day.
There are parts of this pandemic that are giving us a reset. Hopefully it is a time to reflect on the life you were leading & is giving you an opportunity to create a life that you want to lead well into the future.
Have you been able to maintain your routine & notice its positive impact on your mental health?